Return to Tortall
by daisychains123
Summary: The trip back to tortall from Carthak  a short ficlet, showing the first signs of DaineNumair


**Questions**

"Daine?"

The fifteen-year-old girl with wild brown hair did not turn from the side of the ship she and her friends were on, only the rail keeping her from joining the sea creatures below…

Carthak was far in the distance- a mere memory now… almost.

"Daine?" the voice called again, and this time she answered.

"Over here Numair"

A man came into view. He was tall, with a tan face and dark hair pulled into a horsetail. He came and stood next to his student, also looking back at the fading land behind.

"They want to ask you some questions." He said quietly

Daine sighed, having no trouble assuming who _they _were.

Alanna the Lioness, the Kings champion was one of the few people (along with Numair) who had wanted to wait until they had arrived back on Tortallan soil before asking questions of Daine. They had been overruled- Daine was to recall the events that she was a part of back in Carthak.

"When?" she asked, still not tearing her gaze from the ocean view.

"Now, if that is possible" said Numair

Daine sighed again, and nodded, allowing Numair to lead her into the ships cabin.

"I hardly think this is the best time to ask her!" they heard an angry voice proclaim as they entered.

"I am sorry Alanna, but we must know what happened" Duke Gareth said solemnly.

Daine opened the door, and stepped in, Numair following.

"Thank you Alanna, but…" Daine shrugged and Alanna nodded, pulling a chair out beside her, Numair leaning against the doorframe.

Daine looked around.

Gareth the Younger, his father- Duke Gareth, Lord Martin, Numair, Alanna, Lindhall, a few of the senior clerks and more of the Tortallan delegation were cramped into the cabin, along with Kitten, Daine's charge- a young dragon.

Daine looked around.

"What did you wish to know?" she asked carefully.

"Daine, we understand it is…not easy for you, but would you be able to tell us what exactly happened when Ozorne captured you? Leave nothing out, if you please." Said Duke Gareth, his tone kind.

"Well… I had gone to check on his birds, when he asked that I come have some food with him, and I asked if first I might tend to his birds. He agreed, and I found out what had been making them sick. It was lead"

"in the enamel?" asked Gareth the younger, and Daine nodded, not surprised the sharp man had guessed correctly.

"So I went to tell Ozorne and he asked me to sit and have something to eat with him. I told him it would not be fitting, seeing as how I was a mess. He got some- some slaves to get me cleaned up, and give me a robe to wear over my dirty clothes. The slaves left and he said something about mutes being the best slaves, because they don't chatter, or some other such thing."

Daine took a breath, and continued, petting Kitten, who had crawled onto her lap as she spoke.

"He gave me a goblet full of red stuff…it was quite thick, I think because of the..."

"Dreamrose" offered Numair, who was listening as interestedly as the others were- he was also hearing this for the first time.

Daine smiled at him and nodded, continuing. "He offered a toast to birds"

"Birds?" said Lord Martin incredulously.

"He could have toasted worse things," said Lindhall quietly, and Daine nodded. "I was nervous, thinking he'd want to toast Carthak or the downfall of Tortall, but he toasted to birds, and I could accept that well enough."

Martin was silent.

"He drank his all down at once, so it was only polite for me to do the same."

Numair shook his head, but did not interrupt.

"He asked what I thought of the progress being made in the peace attempt, and then started going on about the 'dark omens' and how the Gods were angry. He asked if I knew why they were angry, and I shook my head- I was getting hot by then. He said because 'I let a threat to Carthak exist. A powerful criminal sheltered by my enemy, Jonathan of Tortall.' He seemed to think that the Gods were angry because of Numair."

The mage snorted derisively. "It doesn't surprise me."

Daine rolled her eyes.

"He said how the statue of Zernou pointed at Numair, and he understood. He made a plan."

Daine drew a breath and shuddered slightly. Kitten whistled, and she smiled slightly.

"Thanks Kit. I told him that he couldn't hurt us- I was fighting the dreamrose at this point, and could only manage a few words. I said 'Ambassadors. Sacred -'. But he wasn't going to hurt anyone. He explained how it would seem like I ran away, and he would be furious. For all he knew, I was urging people to rebel. You were all to be forced to leave, and it was to look as though it was my fault that the peace talks had failed. He would have his war, and no one could stop him."

Daine stopped, and blushed furiously, looking down at her hands in silence.

"Daine?" prompted the Duke, and she continued quietly.

"He said 'better, I know he loves you- the traitor Salmalin. That I could see when he came here seeking you, and the night Zernou pointed him out to me- the night the traitor warned my heir not to trifle with you. Since we will go to war in any case, Salmalin will return for you, and I will have him'. He… he thought Numair loved me."

Daine stopped, blushing in the awkward silence.

It was broken by Alanna, who cleared her throat and said, "Of course he loves you- we all do"

Daine was still blushing to her hands, and did not see the appreciative look Numair sent the lioness.

**This is my first ever Tamora Pierce fic- hope you like it.**

**Chels**

**(PS: I know- it's not as good as my Harry Potter fics- but that's because I know the HP characters better.)**


End file.
